Department for Transport

Driving Tests

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ensure that the seven mile, 20 mile, and 30 mile rule is adhered to when making changes to driving test centre locations, ensuing that those in urban areas are no more than seven miles from a centre, those in small towns are never more than 20 miles from a driving test centre and those in the most rural areas are never more than 30 miles from a driving test centre.

Mr Richard Holden: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is in the process of reviewing the distance to travel criteria policy. Adhering to the seven miles, 20 miles, and 30 miles rule will form part of that review.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

James Daly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent cost benefit analysis he has carried out on requiring HGV drivers to renew their licence at 45 and every five years thereafter until they hit 65 and then every year; and what assessment he has made of the effect of those requirements on levels of recruitment and retraining of HGV drivers.

Mr Richard Holden: While age on its own is not a reliable indicator of health, it is widely accepted that the likelihood of developing conditions which may affect fitness to drive increases with age. The licence renewal process provides for the driver to make a declaration regarding their health and to submit a medical report that is completed by a doctor following an examination. This process is designed to be balanced and proportionate and reflect the greater road safety risks posed by the driving of larger vehicles.

Department for Education

Apprentices: Minimum Wage

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has held discussions with the National Union of Apprenticeships on raising the apprentice minimum wage to the national living wage in the last 12 months.

Robert Halfon: The department is committed to supporting more people into high-quality apprenticeships. We want to ensure that apprentice minimum pay rates support learners of all ages and backgrounds to enter and complete apprenticeships.The independent Low Pay Commission advises the government on minimum pay rates, including the apprentice national minimum wage rate. Its recommendations follow public consultation, which stakeholders are able to feed into.The Low Pay Commission will shortly set out its recommendations on minimum pay rates from April 2023.Most employers pay their apprentices more than the minimum. The Apprenticeship Evaluation Learner Survey 2021 data shows that the median basic hourly pay for apprentices in 2021 was £8.23 for Intermediate (Level 2) and £9.09 for Advanced (Level 3) apprentices, £12.51 for Level 4 and 5 apprentices and £14.48 for Level 6 and 7 apprentices.The department continues to offer bursaries and additional payments to support eligible individuals, such as 16 to 24-year-old care-leavers, into apprenticeships.

Higher Education: Economic Growth

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what priorities she has set to improve economic growth in the Higher Education sector.

Robert Halfon: The higher education (HE) sector is essential to the future success of our economy and society. High-quality HE and research across the country is key to delivering successful outcomes for students, providing the skills our businesses and services need, and injecting innovation into our economy. Over the next three financial years, the department is investing an additional £750 million in high-quality teaching and facilities for the HE sector, including in science and engineering subjects that support the NHS and degree apprenticeships. The recurrent Strategic Priorities Grant budget is set at £1,397 million for the 2022/23 financial year, which is 5% higher than last year.

Overseas Students

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of students registered in English Higher Educational establishments were overseas students in each of the last five years.

Robert Halfon: The Higher Education Statistics Agency collects and publishes statistics on enrolments and qualifications obtained at UK higher education (HE) institutions. Latest statistics refer to the 2020/21 academic year.The tables below show the numbers of non-UK domiciled students enrolled at English HE providers between academic years 2016/17 and 2020/21. Domicile refers to the permanent home address of the student, prior to entry of the course.Non-UK domiciled HE student enrolments at English providers, 2016/17 to 2020/21  Academic YearNon-UK domiciled students Total HE studentsProportion of students who are not UK domiciled2016/17372,0451,951,07519.1%2017/18387,7001,983,48019.5%2018/19410,8952,015,11020.4%2019/20463,4452,076,46522.3%2020/21501,2702,257,58022.2%

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Research

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support the UK’s research and development sector.

George Freeman: At the 2021 Spending Review, the Government announced an increase in public expenditure on R&D, including a commitment to £20 billion per annum by 2024/2025.R&D investment supports delivery of the Innovation Strategy, by creating the conditions to grow private sector investment. To develop R&D strengths across the country, Government is increasing domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East by at least 40% by 2030. We have also committed £800 million to the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, a new science and research funding agency, to fund research that will develop new technologies.

Research: Finance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the Government’s target for investment in research and development to be 2.4 per cent of GDP by the 2026-27 financial year.

George Freeman: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on a number of issues.Government remains committed to increasing the UK’s R&D intensity; hitting or exceeding the 2.4% target. Increased public research and development (R&D) spending, alongside other measures put forward in the Innovation Strategy, will contribute to growth in private sector investment in R&D by creating the conditions for all businesses to innovate and giving them the confidence to do so. This will support the Government’s aim of raising economic growth by boosting productivity and thus improving living standards across the country.

Higher Education: Research

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the private sector research and development opportunities available for research in the Higher Education sector.

George Freeman: Data on university income from private business is collected annually by the Higher Education Statistics Authority. The latest data from the 2020/21 academic year shows that higher education institutions received £5.1 billion from the main sources of private sector funding. This includes £1.4 billion for contract research and £1.8 billion for collaborative research. In addition, there are several government programmes that require or encourage collaboration between higher education and the private sector, such as the UK Research Partnerships Investment Fund, which has provided £900m to higher education institutions that has been matched by twice as much private investment.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his Department's policy paper entitled Life Science Vision, published on 6 July 2021, what discussions he has had with representatives of the domestic medical cannabis sector on the speed of uptake of proven products and potential barriers to the spread of new technologies.

George Freeman: We developed the Life Sciences Vision with wide engagement across the sector, including those involved with a wide range of therapeutic modalities. As part of this we considered carefully matters of regulation, access and uptake of new products – but not specifically with medicinal cannabis producers. We were careful to consider wider work on this issue, including the Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform report.

Flats: Energy

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department provides for energy supply in communal areas in (a) apartment buildings and (b) other shared accommodation.

Graham Stuart: Intermediaries supplying energy via a domestic contract benefit from the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) and the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS). Non-domestic contracts will benefit from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS).

Nuclear Power: Expenditure

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution published on 18 November 2020, how much money has been paid into the Advanced Nuclear Fund since the publication of the plan.

Graham Stuart: The £385m Advanced Nuclear Fund, announced in 2020, includes funding of up to £210m for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs). For SMRs, this is being delivered through the Low-Cost Nuclear Innovation Programme which provided a £210m grant to Rolls-Royce (RR) SMR. This encouraged industry to invest £280m, from Rolls Royce and other investors. For AMRs, in September the Government announced up to £3.3m for successful organisations under Phase A of the Research, Development and Demonstration programme.

Energy Bills Rebate: Northern Ireland

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had recent discussions with the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland on the adequacy of the £100 payment for households that use home heating oil in Northern Ireland.

Graham Stuart: Officials regularly meet with Northern Ireland stakeholders – including the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland – to discuss support available to households in Northern Ireland. The topic of the £100 Alternative Fuel Payment has been discussed with the Consumer Council. The payment aims to ensure that a typical customer using heating oil will be offered support broadly in line with that offered by the Energy Price Guarantee, for those using mains gas to heat their homes. The Government will monitor the price of heating oil and other alternative fuels to see if further intervention is required.

Business: Coronavirus

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support independent businesses whose finances have been impacted covid-19pandemic.

Kevin Hollinrake: Our ‘Pay as You Grow’ options for Bounce Back Loan Scheme borrowers provide additional flexibility for those who need it to repay their loans over a longer period and in a way that better suits businesses’ individual circumstances. So far, over a fifth of borrowers have used one or more of the options available. The Recovery Loan Scheme provides government-guaranteed loans and other types of finance, up to £2 million per business group, for SMEs that would not be able to access a fully commercial facility, or would only be able to do so on worse terms.

Public Buildings: Energy

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce energy consumption of heating of public buildings.

Graham Stuart: As set out in the Net Zero Strategy, the Government aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. To support this, £2.5 billion is being invested through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme over the financial years 2020/21 to 2024/25 to provide grants for public sector bodies in England, to fund heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures. The Government Property Function has recently published its Government Property Strategy, which commits to delivering a range of measures designed to create a smaller, better, and greener public estate.

Energy Bills Rebate: Private Rented Housing

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to provide additional support to private rented tenants who have sub meters in their flats and are not entitled to the full £400 payment under the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Graham Stuart: The Government set out details of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) and confirmed that further funding would be available to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills, for the domestic energy consumers not reached by EBSS. This will include those who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an energy supplier. The Government is working with a range of organisations to finalise the details and have the process up and running for applications this winter.

Business: Conditions of Employment and Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impacts of improving (a) terms and conditions and (b) pay on business performance.

Kevin Hollinrake: We are determined to make the UK the best place in the world to work and grow a business. Over the past year, we have proven our commitment to supporting workers across the UK, including raising the National Living Wage to its highest rate yet. The Government is also backing five Private Members’ Bills which have been introduced as a result of the Private Members’ Bill ballot in the House of Commons which will increase workforce participation, protect vulnerable workers, and level the playing field, ensuring unscrupulous businesses don’t have a competitive advantage. These Bills build on the strengths of our flexible and dynamic labour market and give businesses the confidence to create jobs and invest in their workforce, allowing them to generate long-term prosperity and economic growth. As a result of government action, there are now more employees on the payroll than ever before, and we will continue to build a high skilled, high productivity, high wage economy that delivers on our ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work.

Energy: Price Caps

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has held with Cabinet colleagues on fuel support for households in the North Wales and Merseyside Distribution Network, in the context of that area having the highest capped price for dual fuel and electricity in the country.

Graham Stuart: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on fuel support for households.The setting of the tariffs is a commercial matter for individual suppliers, within the price cap set by Ofgem.

Energy Price Guarantee

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department conducted an equality impact assessment on the setting of the Regional Energy Price Guarantee.

Graham Stuart: The Department conducted a full equality impact assessment of the Energy Price Guarantee scheme prior to its launch at the beginning of October.

Redundancy Payments Service: Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has held discussions with the Redundancy Payment Service on the National Minimum Wage.

Kevin Hollinrake: Officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Low Pay Commission (LPC) speak to a wide range of stakeholders in relation to the National Minimum Wage. The LPC are an independent and expert body which makes annual recommendations on the appropriate rates for the National Living and Minimum Wages, and other low pay related issues. They carry out extensive research that draws on economic, labour market and pay analysis, independent research, and stakeholder evidence to inform their recommendations. That is why we always consider their advice when increasing the minimum wage rates.

Redundancy Payments Service: Employment Tribunals Service

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many employment tribunal cases have been lodged against the Redundancy Payment Service for each year from 2019 in relation to director employment status.

Kevin Hollinrake: For the years 2019-2021 the Redundancy Payments Service was not party to any Employment Tribunal cases where a director’s claim had been rejected on status grounds. To date in 2022 there have been 139 cases. These figures are internal Insolvency Service data and not official statistics.

Oil: Shetland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the development the Rosebank oil field on decarbonisation targets in the North Sea Transition Deal.

Graham Stuart: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon. Member for Norwich South on 1st November 2022 to Question 69713.

Offshore Industry: Carbon Emissions and Climate Change

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the compatibility of the oil and gas licensing round on the UK's (a) carbon budgets, (b) net zero target and (c) legal obligations and commitments towards international climate targets.

Graham Stuart: The opening of the most recent licensing round by the North Sea Transition Authority followed the publication of the Climate Compatibility Checkpoint. The North Sea Transition Deal includes emissions reduction targets consistent with the Government’s Net Zero Strategy, which establishes the UK pathway for carbon budgets and international targets.

Incinerators: Essex

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will withdraw the planning consent given to the Rivenhall Incinerator in 2010.

Graham Stuart: The Government has no plans to withdraw the planning consent given to the Rivenhall incinerator.

National Grid: Seas and Oceans

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the development of offshore electricity grids; and whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing an offshore electricity grid and ring main to connect offshore wind turbines to the grid in (a) East Anglia and (b) London as an alternative to the overheard electricity cables and pylons proposed in the East Anglia Green Energy Enablement project.

Graham Stuart: The Electricity System Operator’s Holistic Network Design provides the first step towards a strategic approach to offshore network planning. Projects too advanced to be included, due to pre-existing connection contracts, can voluntarily opt-in to coordinate. Two such ‘Pathfinders’ have been announced and five other projects have committed to exploring coordination in East Anglia.Alternatives to East Anglia GREEN have been considered by National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) which showed an equivalent offshore network would have a lifetime cost of £7.8bn compared to £1.1bn. No final decision has been taken. NGET will launch its statutory consultation in early 2023.

Fireworks: Regulation

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Regulation 7 of The Fireworks Regulations 2004 at reducing the anti-social use of fireworks.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government endorses the considerate use of fireworks and action taken to reduce the risks and disturbances to individuals, animals and property. The majority of individuals who use fireworks do so in a responsible and safe manner and there are enforcement mechanisms in place to tackle situations when fireworks are misused.

Trade Unions: Electronic Voting

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason members of trade unions are not permitted to vote on union matters electronically.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the implications for his policies of the recommendation of the Knight Review on allowing electronic voting for trade union ballots.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he is taking steps with trade unions to (a) remove the requirement for unions to ballot on paper and (b) make voting on union matters easier for members.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing trade unions to hold votes electronically.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on (a) disabled people, (b) older people and (c) ill people of allowing trade unions to vote on union matters electronically.

Kevin Hollinrake: Before responding to the Knight Review recommendations, the Government was required by Section 4 of the Trade Union Act 2016 to consult relevant organisations, including professionals from expert associations, to seek their advice and recommendations. We have done this and are now finalising our consideration of Sir Ken’s recommendations before we issue our response in due course.

Energy Bills Rebate: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department’s policy that households in Northern Ireland will receive the £100 payment for energy support in November 2022.

Graham Stuart: The Government has committed to providing the £100 Alternative Fuel Payment this winter. Details will be confirmed shortly. The Government will deliver this support as fast as possible. There is no central register of people who do not use mains gas for their heating. The Government is working with stakeholders to ascertain the best method of identifying eligible customers and making payments to them. For Northern Ireland the Government is working with electricity suppliers to explore how the payment could be delivered via electricity bills.

Motor Vehicles: Engines

Ian Levy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support the 2030 phaseout of new internal combustion engine cars.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is investing £2.5 billion to incentivise the transition to zero emission vehicles with £1.6 billion of this funding to support charging infrastructure. In addition, the up to £1 billion Automotive Transformation Fund supports R&D and capital investments across the electric vehicle supply chain to develop next generation of zero emission vehicle technologies in the UK. The Government will introduce a zero-emission vehicle mandate requiring a percentage of manufacturers' new car and van sales to be zero emission each year from 2024 and continue to regulate tailpipe CO2 emissions of new non-zero emission cars and vans to limit their emissions until 100% of new sales are zero emission.

Electric Vehicles

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to incentivise uptake in the ownership of electric vehicles.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government has committed £2.5 billion since 2020 to support the transition to zero emission vehicles. This provides funding to offset the higher upfront cost of electric vehicles and more than £1.6 billion to be used to support charging infrastructure. Plug-in Grants, to reduce the upfront cost of vehicles, will continue until at least 2024 for taxis and motorcycles, and 2025 for vans, trucks and wheelchair accessible vehicles. In addition, generous tax incentives are in place, including zero road tax and favourable company car tax rates, which can save drivers over £2,000 a year. We want to ensure drivers who make the switch to an electric vehicle can charge easily. In March the Department for Transport published the UK electric vehicle charging infrastructure strategy. The strategy sets out the Department’s vision and commitments to make electric vehicle charging cheaper and more convenient than refuelling at a petrol station so that drivers can make the switch to an electric vehicle wherever they live.

Energy: Prices

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to pensioners with the cost of energy bills.

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to families with the cost of energy bills.

Graham Stuart: The Government is committed to supporting households with energy prices and the cost of living. This winter the government is providing direct support to millions of households through the Energy Price Guarantee and Energy Bills Support Scheme. This is in addition to the Cost of Living Support Package, which is targeted at those greatest in need. It includes a one-off £300 payment, for over 8 million pensioner households to be paid alongside the Winter Fuel Payment. For families needing additional support, the £421m Household Support Fund has been extended until March 2023, to help vulnerable households in England with the cost of essentials.

Post Offices: Cost of Living

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Department is taking to support (a) postmasters and (b) sub-postmasters with the rising cost of living.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government has introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which seeks to provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic consumers, including Post Offices. It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, running for an initial 6-month period for non-domestic energy users. The savings will be first seen in October bills, which are typically received in November. The Government will publish a review of the scheme in 3 months. This review will consider how best to offer further support to customers who are the most vulnerable to energy price increases.

Power Failures: Medical Equipment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which Minister in in his Department is responsible for ensuring the safety of people with long-term health conditions who use lifesaving equipment, including ventilators and dialysis machines, in their own homes in the event of power blackouts this winter; and if his Department will publish its plans for protecting these individuals.

Graham Stuart: The Department of Health and Social Care is responsible for working with the nation’s health and social care sectors to support individuals with electricity dependent medical equipment at home. This includes those who need to use medical equipment that requires a power supply.

Minimum Wage: Uprating

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of increasing the (a) national minimum wage and (b) national living wage in line with inflation.

Kevin Hollinrake: We have set out an ambitious target for the minimum wage to reach 2/3 of median earnings by 2024 subject to wider economic conditions. It is important that increases are evidence-based, sustainable and affordable for business. That is why we consider the expert and independent advice of the Low Pay Commission when increasing the rates as setting the minimum wage too high may lead to higher unemployment and harm the very people the policy is intended to help.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Consultants

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department spent in total on external management consultants in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department spent on external management consultants is as follows: (a) In 2019 spend was not held centrally and can only be obtained disproportionally.(b) In 2020 it was £906,170(c) In 2021 it was £1,393,697 BEIS external management consultants’ expenditure is published on gov.uk here, under the expense type ‘Corporate Management Consultancy’.

Public Houses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help support pubs with the rising costs of alcohol.

Kevin Hollinrake: We recognise the impact rising prices will have on businesses of all sizes and we regularly engage with hospitality businesses and suppliers to understand the challenges they face and explore ways to protect businesses. The recently announced Energy Bill Relief Scheme ensures that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. We have also provided temporary business rates relief of 50% in 2022-23 for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses worth almost £1.7 billion.

Oil: Refineries

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the (a) adequacy of the UK's oil refining capacity and (b) potential opportunities for refining (i) bio oils and (ii) other greener products.

Graham Stuart: The UK remains well-supplied from a diverse range of sources and refining capacity is assessed as adequate. UK demand for diesel is met by a combination of domestic production and imports. There is an oversupply of petrol and the UK is a net exporter. BEIS continually monitors the fuel supply market to remain aware of current supply levels and publishes weekly national average forecourt stock levels. All UK refinery operators are in the process of exploring opportunities to move to greener products and transition towards the Government’s net zero target.

Energy: Prices

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of (a) the implications for his policies of rising energy costs for park homes and (b) the potential merits of providing support for park home residents with installing insulation.

Graham Stuart: The Government has announced an unprecedented package of support to help households with the cost of living crisis. This includes support of £400 for energy bills for households who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an energy supplier, such as park home residents. The Government is working with a range of organisations to finalise the details of the Alternative Funding and have the process up and running for applications this winter. Park homes are eligible for support with insulation from the Energy Company Obligation and Sustainable Warmth scheme.

Energy Bills Rebate

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish details regarding the additional funding being provided under the Energy Bills Support Scheme to ensure that the £400 payments are extended to include people who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an energy supplier, such as park home residents.

Graham Stuart: As announced on 29 July, the EBSS Alternative Funding will be available to provide equivalent support of £400 for energy bills for the households who will not be reached through the EBSS. This includes those who do not have a domestic electricity meter or a direct relationship with an energy supplier, such as park home residents. The Government is working with a range of organisations, such as local authorities, as well as Devolved Administrations and across UK Government, to finalise the details of the Alternative Funding and have the process up and running for applications this winter.

Oil: Shetland

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure the Rosebank oil field development in the North Sea does not damage marine habitats.

Graham Stuart: The environmental impacts of offshore oil and gas developments, including the likely impacts on marine habitats, are subject to rigorous regulatory assessment by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED). This includes consultation with government nature protection bodies and with the public.If required, OPRED can put in place conditions to protect marine habitats from significant impacts which may occur during preparatory work, installation and operation of the facilities. The Environmental Statement for the Rosebank Field Development is currently being reviewed by OPRED and a decision will be published in due course.

Offshore Industry: Licensing

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the new oil and gas licensing round on the UK's ability to protect 30 per cent of its oceans by 2030.

Graham Stuart: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion on 8th November 2022 to Questions 74614, 74616 and 74617.

Fossil Fuels

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 6 October to Question 53356 on Fossil Fuels, what data was the basis for his calculation that production emissions from oil and gas will be compatible with carbon budgets under the 2008 Climate Act; and if he will place a copy of that data in the House of Commons Library.

Graham Stuart: The Net Zero Strategy sets out the UK’s planned emissions pathway with carbon budget targets under the 2008 Climate Change Act. The data set is publicly available. The Net Zero Strategy pathway considers both emissions from unabated oil and gas consumption and emissions associated with domestic production of oil and gas.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation.Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts. Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

New Businesses

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support start-up businesses.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Start Up Loans Company, part of the Government-owned British Business Bank, provides loans and pre- and post-application support to new entrepreneurs, including a year of free business mentoring for successful applicants. Our network of 38 Growth Hubs across England provides access to information and advice to all businesses, regardless of size or sector. The BEIS-funded Business Support Helpline provides free advice and support for all businesses in England – including start-ups.

Energy: Meters

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of allowing Chinese state affiliated companies to be part of the smart meter roll-out on national security.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has made an assessment of the links between Kaifa Technology UK and the (a) China Electronics Corporation and (b) Chinese armed forces.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made assessment of any potential threat to national security of the rollout of Kaifa Technology UK’s smart meters in UK homes.

Graham Stuart: I refer the Hon. Member to the answers given on 20th October 2022 to Questions UIN 60918, UIN 60919 and UIN 60920. The smart metering system has been designed in consultation with industry experts and the National Cyber Security Centre (part of GCHQ), with a comprehensive security model at its heart. Smart meters only respond to communications that are sent securely by authorised organisations such as energy suppliers, rather than meter manufacturers. Security risk assessment reviews are conducted on a regular basis and consider the range of certified devices used within smart metering, including the system resilience benefits that diversity of devices bring.

Bulb Energy: Insolvency

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost has been to the public purse of the losses incurred by Bulb whilst in receipt of Government support.

Graham Stuart: The administrators published their six monthly progress report in June 2022, as per their statutory obligations. This showed that £901m of funding had been drawn down under their funding agreement with BEIS. The Special Administrators of Bulb are required by law to keep costs as low as possible and the government continue to engage closely to ensure maximum value for money for taxpayers.

Energy Bill Relief Scheme

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2022 to Question 73833, what the total amount is that the Government plans to make available to UK energy suppliers under the Energy Bill Relief Scheme; what the maximum amount is that the Government plans to make available to each of those suppliers under that scheme; and if he will make an estimate of the number of business that are customers of each of those suppliers.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Bill Relief scheme provides a discount on the wholesale element of gas and electricity bills for eligible non-domestic customers. In the Growth Plan presented to the House on 23rd September 2022, the Government estimated the direct costs of the EBRS at £29bn. However, the cost of this scheme is subject to different factors, including changes in wholesale prices. The number of customers supported by each supplier will depend on their portfolio composition. The Government cannot at this stage provide estimates of eligible customers for each supplier.

Energy Bills Rebate

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to boost the redemption of vouchers for the Energy Bills Support Scheme discount for customers using traditional prepayment meters.

Graham Stuart: Suppliers should take action to encourage all traditional pre-payment customers to redeem their EBSS payment vouchers during the scheme month. Vouchers are valid for 90 days from the date of issue. Replacement credit vouchers can be issued, but must be redeemed by the scheme closing date of 30 June 2023. Suppliers have an obligation to provide evidence to BEIS of taking action to encourage pre-payment customers to redeem their issued vouchers. Suppliers should make a minimum of three attempts to contact customers who have not redeemed their payment. If a customer requests that an expired voucher is reissued, suppliers should comply with the request as long as it is made ahead of the end of scheme date.

Department of Health and Social Care

Ageing: Artificial Intelligence

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UK maximises the potential merits of the role AI and future technology in helping people to live well in later life.

Will Quince: Through its Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award, the NHS Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is funding research into testing of leading AI imaging and diagnostic technologies, which could provide faster cancer and stroke diagnoses. Other technologies funded through the Award can assist with managing health conditions such as heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at home and reduce regular hospital visits.

Ageing: Artificial Intelligence

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has provided to research and development on understanding the potential merits of using AI technology to support people as they age.

Will Quince: The NHS Artificial Intelligence Laboratory has invested more than £100 million to support testing and evaluation of 77 technologies through its Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award. The Award was established in 2020 and the funding is available for four years.

Ageing: Artificial Intelligence

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set up a National Institute for AI and Ageing as recommended in a recent report by the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Will Quince: The NHS Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is addressing aging in a multi-disciplinary, cross-sector approach. The Laboratory is contributing to a range of projects, including identifying whether artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to detect the earlier onset of Parkinson's disease to enable a proactive approach to care; funding a range of ethics focused research projects to identify how all demographic groups can benefit from AI; and deploying imaging technologies which can detect the prevalence of conditions such as osteoporosis.

Health Services: Artificial Intelligence

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to integrate AI technology into the health system.

Will Quince: The NHS Artificial Intelligence Laboratory was established in 2019 to accelerate the safe, ethical and effective adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in health and social care. It is funding research into testing 77 of most promising AI technologies through its Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award. These technologies are being tested in 65 hospitals, supporting more than 200,000 patients. The Laboratory is funding a multi-agency advisory service to streamline the regulatory pathway and research with the Health Foundation, to ensure AI meets safety and ethical standards. The Laboratory is also working with Health Education England to increase confidence in AI in the National Health Service workforce.

NHS: 5G

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to invest in 5G connectivity in the NHS.

Will Quince: Local health and care organisations determine which advanced wireless telecommunications technology is appropriate for local connectivity requirements. We are ensuring all National Health Service premises have access to gigabit capable connectivity and supporting improvements to Wi-Fi performance. In addition, guidance has been provided to the New Hospitals Programme on optimising new build premises for wireless performance. NHS Digital and NHS England are engaging with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on its overall strategy for the provision of wireless infrastructure, including 5G coverage. NHS Digital has also undertaken research into the benefits of 5G in health and care through sponsoring a trial at the South London and Maudsley Mental Health Trust.

Hospitals: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the next business case about funding the Hospital Transformation Programme to modernise healthcare in Shropshire including the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will be considered.

Will Quince: The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust is responsible for developing the business case. On approval of the Strategic Outline Case in August 2022, £9.9 million was approved in principle to support the Trust to develop the Outline Business Case. NHS England and the Department will consider the case once received from the Trust.

Department of Health and Social Care: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Will Quince: The provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to Ministers on leaving office are published in the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts. The provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across Government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Breast Cancer: North Tyneside

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to help increase the uptake of breast cancer screening in North Tyneside constituency.

Helen Whately: The Government has invested £10 million into the National Health Service to establish more breast screening units across the country.NHS Breast Screening Providers are also being encouraged to work with cancer alliances, primary care networks, NHS England regional teams and the voluntary sector, to bring together work to promote uptake of breast screening and take action to ensure as many people as possible can access services.

Dermatology: South East

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the level of vacancies for consultant dermatologists in the South East; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of these vacancies on patient waiting times.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made.The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out that the National Health Service will expand workforce capacity by identifying and addressing vacancies in specific staff groups and sectors. We will also implement measures to retain NHS staff, including local support for mental and physical health and wellbeing. We have also created 15 additional postgraduate training posts in dermatology from August 2022.

Church Commissioners

Persecution of Christians Across the Globe Independent Review

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have taken recent steps to help support the implementation of recommendations in the report entitled Bishop of Truro's independent review of FCDO support for persecuted Christians, published on 4 July 2022.

Andrew Selous: The Church of England is in regular contact with officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regarding the implementation of the Bishop of Truro’s Review Recommendations and what further measures might be needed to support freedom of religion our belief for all. The Church of England offered support and advice in advance of the Ministerial on International Religious Freedom that the Government hosted in July 2022 and is assisting with follow up to the Ministerial.

Housing: Older People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, if the Church of England will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing accommodation on their land for people aged 55 and over with shared values.

Andrew Selous: The Church of England’s Social Impact Investment Programme has committed £2m towards the second Social and Sustainable Housing Fund [SASH II] managed by Social and Sustainable Capital. SASH II seeks to enable charities and social sector organisations to acquire and own portfolios of property so that they can provide a combination of high quality housing and targeted support to vulnerable people. More information can be found here: Church of England commits £2m to enable charities to purchase housing to support vulnerable people | The Church of EnglandThe Archbishops’ Housing Commission made recommendations to the Church and Government about building new communities and the future use of land. An example is St Bride’s Church in Trafford, which worked with Trafford Housing Trust (THT) to release land that was used to build a new church and the Limelight Centre: 81 extra-care apartments for over 55 year-olds and a new expanded community centre. The full report from the Commission can be found here: Archbishops Housing Commission

Prime Minister

Housing: Construction

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to his oral contribution of 26 October 2022 in response to the Right hon Member for Aldridge-Brownhills, Official Report, column 297, what the factual basis is for his statement that a record number of new homes were built in the last year.

Rishi Sunak: I am very proud of this government’s record on housebuilding, with over 2 million additional homes delivered since 2010. I am happy to clarify that it was this Conservative Government which oversaw the highest level of new homes delivered in over 30 years before the disruption of the pandemic, with 242,000 homes (a net increase in housing supply) delivered between April 2019 and March 2020. Furthermore, under this Government the number of new homes started in England is at a near 15-year high, and has risen by 10% above pre-pandemic levels.This Government knows that people are happier, more secure and more rooted in their communities when they own their own homes. That is why we are continuing to build on our record of delivering new homes, with housebuilding starts increasing by 140% between 2009 and 2022.

Treasury

Gift Aid: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress his Department has made on the automation of gift aid payments.

James Cartlidge: The Government recognises the important work the charity sector does in the UK, which is why we currently provide tax reliefs to charities and their donors worth over £5 billion per year, including over £1.3 billion in Gift Aid. HMRC is undertaking a review of the ‘Claim Gift Aid online’ service. This remains ongoing and is considering all aspects of the service including whether the service meets the needs of its users, as well as the registration and claims process. The Government has also received ideas from the sector on developing Gift Aid for the digital age. The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review.

Economic Growth and Productivity

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps he is taking to increase economic (a) growth and (b) productivity.

James Cartlidge: The government remains committed to boosting economic growth as the route to raising the prosperity of people across the UK. It is taking action to ensure we have the right skills, high quality infrastructure and support for firms to innovate and invest. We have brought forward measures to provide businesses with the skills they need through T-Levels, Skills Bootcamps and apprenticeships; supported businesses to invest and innovate through freezing the business rates multiplier for 2022-23 and permanently setting the Annual Investment Allowance at its highest ever level of £1 million from 1 April 2023. We continue to deliver high quality infrastructure through the National Infrastructure Strategy and are currently legislating to put the UK Infrastructure Bank on a statutory footing, with £22bn financial capacity, and aiming to crowd-in a further £18bn. We recognise that the immediate global challenge of inflationary pressure is destabilising for businesses of all sizes. The Government is therefore committed to delivering wider economic stability, with a strong fiscal focus on tackling inflation, so that businesses will have the confidence to invest and grow. The Chancellor has announced that the Autumn Statement will be delivered on 17 November. This will set out further fiscal steps to raise productivity and drive economic growth sustainably.

Electric Vehicles: Electricity

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the Advisory Electric Rate for fully electric company cars in relation to the rising cost of electricity.

James Cartlidge: The Government introduced the Advisory Electric Rate (AER) in 2018. It applies to employees who use a fully electric vehicle as a company car. The Advisory Electric Rate (AER) was changed in December 2021 from 4 pence per mile (ppm) to 5ppm. This was calculated using published consumption rates, adjusted to reflect real driving conditions, and the average cost of electricity. However, employers are not required to use the AER. Instead, they can use different rates to reflect their employees’ circumstances. Provided they can show that the bespoke rates do not result in a profit for the employee, there will be no tax to pay. Otherwise, when employers reimburse employees at a higher rate than the published AER (5ppm), the excess is subject to Income Tax and NICs. The Government keeps this policy under review.

Treasury: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

James Cartlidge: The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts. Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Debts: Cost of Living

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering payment holidays for any debt owed to the Government, in the context of the cost-of-living crisis.

John Glen: The Cabinet Office’s Government Debt Management Function sets the Government Debt Strategy and the Debt Functional Standard for how debt is managed. These are underpinned by Fairness Principles that provide guidelines for managing debt and supporting people in financial difficulty. The Government has also published a Vulnerability Toolkit that provides front line staff with best-practice tools to identify and support vulnerable individuals. Government departments continue to work with individuals to support them to manage any debts, including by referring them to free and impartial money and debt advice. Anyone who is concerned about their ability to pay should contact the department they are in debt to so they can review their financial circumstances and discuss the support available. To support people in problem debt, HM Treasury continues to maintain record levels of funding for free-to-client debt advice in England in 2022-23. In addition to this, the Breathing Space scheme launched in England and Wales last year, offering people in problem debt a pause of up to 60 days on most enforcement action, interest, fees and charges, and encouraging them to seek professional debt advice.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Corruption and Human Rights: Sanctions

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) Global Human Rights Sanctions and (b) Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions regimes for imposing Magnitsky sanctions in the context of the Government making no designations under either regime since January 2022.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has continued to impose sanctions on human rights violators and abusers to maximum effect, as well as corrupt actors. We will continue to use our Magnitsky sanctions regimes to pursue designations in response to human rights violations, abuses and serious corruption, and are currently investigating targets for further sanctions this autumn. Since the UK Magnitsky regimes were put in place in 2020 and 2021, we have sanctioned 81 persons under Global Human Rights and 27 under our Global Anti-Corruption regime.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments' annual reports and accounts.Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Brazil: Elections

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the 2022 presidential election in Brazil on the UK’s climate ambitions for COP27 in Egypt.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK and Brazil have been working together increasingly closely on climate and nature. Both our countries committed to the Glasgow Climate Pact at COP26: we need to deliver on our climate and biodiversity pledges. At COP26 the UK committed £300 million to help protect the rainforest throughout the Amazonian biome through the International Climate Finance Programme. We welcomed Brazil's commitments to eliminate illegal deforestation by 2028 and restore 18 million hectares of forest by 2030. The UK looks forward to engaging with Brazil at COP27 and to working with this Brazilian government and the next to protect Earth's natural resources.

Alaa Abdel Fattah

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to obtain consular access to Alaa Abdel Fattah.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Since obtaining his British Citizenship in December 2021, the Egyptian authorities have not permitted consular staff to visit Mr Alaa Abd El-Fattah in prison. A first request for consular access was submitted to the Egyptian authorities on 20 December 2021, and there have been a number of follow-up requests at the highest levels, including by the Prime Minister when he spoke to President Sisi on 7 November, by the Foreign Secretary in September 2022 with Foreign Minister Shoukry and during a visit to Cairo by the former FCDO Minister for Africa in October 2022, also with Foreign Minister Shoukry.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Aid

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Humanitarian Plan for Afghanistan is fully funded.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Our commitment to Afghanistan is enduring and work on priority areas, including responding to the humanitarian crisis, remains one of our highest priorities. On 11 January 2022, the UN launched an appeal for $4.4 billion for 2022, the largest humanitarian appeal on record, reflecting the magnitude of the humanitarian challenge ahead. The UK has played a leading role in responding to the humanitarian crisis. On 31 March 2022, the UK co-hosted a donor conference with the UN, Qatar and Germany. At this, the UK committed £286 million humanitarian and development assistance for Afghanistan in this financial year, matching the previous year's commitment. The conference raised over $2.4 billion for the UN's humanitarian appeal. $2.26 billion has been provided to the appeal so far. This is the second largest global contribution in 2022 after Ukraine and we continue to work closely with other donors to ensure funding is available for the humanitarian response in Afghanistan.

Palestinians: Development Aid

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2022 to Question 63915 on Palestinians: Development Aid, if he will publish the review of the Palestinian Authority's commitment to the Partnership Principles with the UK.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The FCDO last conducted an assessment of the Palestinian Authority's (PA) commitment to the Partnership Principles in December 2021. In common with other countries where the FCDO works, we only publish a summary of findings. In summary, we found that the PA demonstrated a partially credible commitment to the Partnership Principles. Officials at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem raise these issues at the highest levels of the PA and will continue to do so.

Afghanistan: Females

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that girls of all ages can return to school in Afghanistan.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government is committed to upholding women and girls' rights in Afghanistan, including the right to an education. We have repeatedly condemned the Taliban's decisions to restrict girls' access to education, including through public statements and UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions, most recently on 19 October. We continue to press the Taliban on women and girls' rights in our political engagement. We are providing education funding through NGO partners, the UN system, and multilateral funds including the World Bank Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education.

Mohamed Hasan

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her counterpart in Bahrain on the arrest of Hasan Mohammed.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Officials and ministers have regular discussions with Bahraini counterparts on human rights issues, most recently during Lord Ahmad's meeting with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani in September in New York and discuss individual cases, as appropriate, both with the Bahraini Government as well as with the independent oversight bodies. We encourage those with concerns to raise them directly with the relevant oversight bodies.

Israel: Palestinians

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications of his policies of the announcement of 27 October 2022 by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory that it will investigate apartheid charges against Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support the request in the report of 20 October 2022 by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory for (a) an urgent advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of and (b) an investigation from the International Criminal Court prosecutor into the continued refusal on the part of Israel to end its occupation; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the report by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory published on 20 October 2022, what assessment he has made of the recommendations that (a) member states of the UN investigate and prosecute persons suspected of crimes under international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and (b) the Security Council consider further action  to require Israel to immediately bring its permanent occupation to an end; and if he will make a statement

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has been clear that we oppose the open-ended nature of the Commission of Inquiry on the situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza and its vaguely defined mandate. The cause of advancing human rights in Israel and the OPTs is not served by the disproportionate focus on Israel. We are also a firm supporter of the Human Rights Council and believe strongly in its mandate to protect human rights and secure accountability for abuses wherever these occur. However, this Commission of Inquiry does not further these goals. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies.

Alaa Abd Fattah

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent progress he has made on securing the release of British national Alaa Abd el-Fattah.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Since Mr El-Fattah's sentencing in December 2021 there have been numerous representations made by the UK Government concerning his imprisonment, welfare and lack of consular access. These include, most recently, the Prime Minister speaking about the case with President Sisi on 7 November stressing the UK Government's deep concern with the issue and for the case to be resolved as soon as possible. The Foreign Secretary raised his case with Foreign Minister Shoukry on 21 September and the former FCDO Minister for Africa raised the case with Foreign Minister Shoukry during her visit to Cairo in October. We continue to support the family of Alaa Abd El-Fattah. The Foreign Secretary spoke to his sisters, Mona and Sanaa Seif, on 2 November and the Minister for North Africa and the Middle East, met with them on 3 November.

Israel: Palestinians

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken recent steps to help support Palestinian (a) civil society organisations and (b) human rights defenders in (i) Israel and (ii) the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Civil society organisations play an important role in upholding human rights and democracy, and they must be able to operate freely in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The former Minister for the Middle East, Amanda Milling, met with human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations during her visit to Israel and the OPTs in June 2022. Officials at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv continue to call upon the Government of Israel to fully respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of human rights defenders and organisations and to allow them to freely operate in Israel and OPTs.

Tigray: Infant Mortality

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to use the overseas aid budget to help reduce levels of (a) neonatal and (b) maternal mortality in Tigray.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In the last eighteen months the UK has provided nearly £90 million of life-saving aid to communities across Ethiopia affected by crises. In October, the former Minister for Development announced £14 million of support to assist 150,000 women and children affected by conflict and drought with comprehensive health, water, sanitation, hygiene and nutrition services.

Ethiopia: Sexual Offences

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to provide funding from the overseas aid budget to help support people who have experienced sexual violence in Ethiopia.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In northern Ethiopia, the UK has provided £4 million to help support survivors of sexual violence. We are also implementing recommendations from the 2021 scoping mission by the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) Team of Experts. This includes working with women's rights organisations to enhance support services to survivors of violence; new research into the drivers and dynamics of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV); and coordination of the international response to gender based violence.The UK will shortly publish the new PSVI strategy. This strategy outlines how the UK Government and other stakeholders can contribute to addressing CRSV through diplomatic, development, and defence interventions.

Tigray: Armed Conflict

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact the Tigray conflict has had on the Irob and Kunama communities.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Like many in Tigray, the Irob and Kunama populations have suffered horrifically during the conflict. There are reports of indiscriminate shelling causing civilian casualties and millions require access to life-saving aid.We welcome the peace agreement and cessation of hostilities announced on 2 November between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The agreement commits to mobilize and expedite humanitarian assistance for all those in need in the Tigray Region and other affected areas, and ensure unhindered humanitarian access. It also commits to the restoration of essential services to the Tigray region. The UK will work alongside the Ethiopian Government and others to support implementation of the peace agreement.

Eritrea: Tigray

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he has taken to encourage the withdrawal of Eritrean forces from Tigray.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK welcomes the peace agreement and cessation of hostilities announced on 2 November between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), and their commitment to scale-up the delivery of life-saving aid to Tigray. The UK will work with the Ethiopian Government and others to support implementation of the peace agreement.The UK calls upon the Eritrean Government to support the agreement by withdrawing its troops from Ethiopia. We have consistently called for the withdrawal of Eritrean troops through public statements and via our Embassy in Asmara.

Madagascar: Development Aid

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what UK Overseas Development Assistance is being spent in Madagascar in (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral programmes and if he will list the programmes and projects.

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Government is providing to help the reforestation of Madagascar.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In the financial year 2021/22 the FCDO spent £13 million of UK ODA bilaterally through centrally managed programmes, principally on humanitarian response (£6 million), family planning (£3.5 million) and disaster risk insurance (£2.1 million). Our key multi-lateral partners in Madagascar are the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank and the UN System, including the global health, education and climate funds.In December 2022, DEFRA will launch its Bio-Diverse Landscapes Fund programme in Madagascar. This will spend £10 million over 6 years to protect and restore Madagascar's dry and humid terrestrial forests and will complement existing DEFRA-funded work to protect mangrove forests in the marine environment. There are also several biodiversity and conservation projects in Madagascar through the Darwin Initiative.

Tigray: Armed Conflict

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the regional conflict affecting the Irob and Kunama communities in Tigray.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Like many in Tigray, the Irob and Kunama populations have suffered horrifically during the conflict. There are reports of indiscriminate shelling causing civilian casualties and millions require access to life-saving aid.We welcome the peace agreement and cessation of hostilities announced on 2 November between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The agreement commits to mobilise and expedite humanitarian assistance for all those in need in the Tigray Region and other affected areas, and ensure unhindered humanitarian access. It also commits to the restoration of essential services to the Tigray region. The UK will work with the Ethiopian Government and others to support implementation of the peace agreement.

Tigray: Peace Negotiations

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the UN Security Council on seeking an immediate ceasefire in Tigray.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK has supported efforts to secure a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the return to conflict in Ethiopia. A closed meeting was held on 21 October to discuss this matter under the "Peace and Security in Africa" agenda item. The UK also raised the situation in Ethiopia during a UN Security Council discussion on conflict and hunger on 15 September. The UK has been heavily involved in international efforts to de-escalate conflict and welcomes the 2 November announcement of a cessation of hostilities.

Tigray: Armed Conflict

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of reports of an aerial attack on a nursery in Mekelle Tigray on 24 August 2022; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: There was widespread reporting of an airstrike which hit a nursery in Tigray on 26 August. The UK has issued multiple public statements condemning civilian casualties and urging all parties to the conflict to prioritise the protection of civilians. Our Ambassador in Addis Ababa has raised incidents of civilian casualties repeatedly with the Ethiopian Government.

Tigray: Human Rights

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the findings of the UN Human Rights Council on the denial of (a) food and (b) services in Tigray.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: In September, the UN International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia presented its findings on the conflict in Tigray to the Human Rights Council. The Commission's findings are clear and are deeply troubling. They highlight looting of and destruction of goods indispensable to civilian well-being by all parties to the conflict. The Commission also notes that it has "reasonable grounds to believe that the Federal Government is committing the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare". Findings about the conduct of hostilities indicate summary execution of civilians and rape and sexual violence "on a staggering scale" by all sides.We welcome the peace agreement between the Federal Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front. This must pave the way for accountability for the survivors and victims of such abuses.

Tigray: Armed Conflict and Famine

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of people who have been killed by (a) military conflict and (b) famine in Tigray in each of the last three years.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the need for humanitarian assistance in Tigray.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Reliable information on casualties as a result of conflict and famine in northern Ethiopia is scarce. It is likely that there have been thousands of battlefield casualties over the course of the conflict. 13 million people require humanitarian assistance as a result of the conflict. As many as 5.4 million people are in need of aid in Tigray.

Ministry of Defence

Typhoon Aircraft

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft will leave operational service; and what plans he has for them on retirement.

Alex Chalk: On current planning the majority of the Typhoon Tranche 1 aircraft will go out of service on 31 March 2025, whilst four will be retained until 2027. As the Tranche 1 fleet draws down, aircraft will undergo a Reduce To Produce programme to strip them of useable parts after which they will be sent for disposal action.

Multi Role Ocean Surveillance Ship: Construction

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance vessels will be built.

Alex Chalk: For reasons of commercial confidentiality, I am unable to comment on the purchase of the first Multi Role Ocean Surveillance ship. I can say that the first ship will be fitted out in the UK. Planning work has commenced for the concept and assessment phase of the project for the second Multi Role Ocean Surveillance capability.

Type 26 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what effect the delay to the Initial Operating Capability of the Type 26 Frigate to October 2028 will have on the capability of the Royal Navy.

Alex Chalk: The revised Initial Operating Capability date has been incorporated into the Frigate Transition Plan and is not expected to impact the Royal Navy's ability to meet Defence tasks.

Defence Equipment: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with NATO members on the allocated workshare of the European Sky Shield Initiative.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding the UK plans to allocate to the European Sky Shield Initiative.

Alex Chalk: Engagement with European partners on the European Sky Shield Initiative has yet to reach the stage of allocating industrial workshare and deciding funding allocations.

Defence Equipment: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what effect the UK's membership of the European Sky Shield Initiative will have on the UK's commitment to the Sky Sabre programme.

Alex Chalk: The UK Ministry od Defence (MOD) is proactively engaging in the European Sky Shield Initiative in support of its Land Ground Based Air Defence programme. In so doing, the UK MOD is looking to identify opportunities with its European partners to build on and strengthen the Sky Sabre air defence capability that is now in service with the British Army.

Boxer Vehicles and Warrior Vehicles

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Boxer vehicles have been ordered as of 7 November 2022; by when he plans to have fully replaced Warrior vehicles with Boxer; how many Warrior vehicles are being replaced; and what plans he has for them once replaced by Boxer.

Alex Chalk: As of 7 November 2022, 623 Boxer vehicles have been ordered, the first UK vehicle is expected shortly. Boxer is not directly replacing the Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle, but will become the primary mechanised infantry platform for the Army as Warrior is retired from service.If and when vehicles are declared for disposal, potential options may include a Government to Government sale, commercial sale or recycling.

Defence Equipment & Support

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to reform DE&S to help ensure greater levels of efficiency.

Alex Chalk: The new Chief Executive Officer of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), Andy Start, is committed to driving the organisation forward in its critical mission to deliver world-class equipment and support for the Armed Forces. The current DE&S Strategy 2025 was launched in May 2021 and has delivered many tangible benefits. However, the forthcoming update to the Integrated Review (IR) and the changing strategic context, including the conflict in Ukraine, means that DE&S must refresh its strategic priorities to better enable Defence to protect the nation and our allies.The Strategy Refresh will reposition DE&S in full alignment with the renewed IR and strengthen its relationships across Defence, thereby ensuring that activities to meet the evolving requirements of our Armed Forces are prioritised. Delivering with efficiency, and using our resources to maximum value, will also be a fundamental aspect of the Refresh.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Sabre and (b) Scimitar vehicles are in service as of 7 November 2022; when he plans to (i) replace and (ii) upgrade those vehicles; how many will be retired; and what plans he has for them on retirement.

Alex Chalk: Both Sabre and Scimitar are variants of the CVR(T) platform. As per the published Equipment and Formation statistics, there are 170 CVR(T) Scimitar variants currently in service. There are no Sabre variants in service; their out of service date was 2004.Operational Analysis highlighted the requirement for the Army to reconsider how it creates the conditions for success in the close battle. As part of Future Soldier, the Army will deliver a modernised division capable of conducting high-end warfighting formed around the Armoured Brigade Combat Team. CVR(T) Scimitar is expected to go out of service in 2023, with the disposals being managed through the Defence Equipment Sales Agency.

Challenger Tanks

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has for the upgrade of the Challenger 2 tank; how many of the current fleet will be upgraded to Challenger 3; how many Challenger 2 tanks will be retired; and what plans he has for those tanks on retirement.

Alex Chalk: The Challenger 3 (CR3) programme will upgrade 148 of the Army's existing Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks to the CR3 standard. Initial Operating Capability is expected to be achieved in 2027, with Full Operating Capability expected in 2030.A decision on what will happen to the remaining platforms has yet been taken.

Defence Equipment & Support: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the number of staff at DE&S has increased in the last five years.

Alex Chalk: On a like-for-like basis, the average number of full-time equivalent staff, employed by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), has increased from 11,035 staff in financial year 2017-18 to 11,318 staff in financial year 2021-22.The recorded figure for financial year 2017-18 was 12,358, but this included 1,323 staff from the Submarine Delivery Agency.These figures include both civilian and military personnel but exclude contingent labour which is used to fill funded posts within DE&S on a short-term basis.DE&S Staff numbers are published annually as part of the DE&S Annual Reports and Accounts, which are available on Gov.uk at: Defence Equipment & Support annual report and accounts: index - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Chinook Helicopters

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when Chinook helicopters will next leave operational service; how many will be (a) withdrawn and (b) replaced; and what plans he has for them on retirement.

Alex Chalk: The Department will be retiring a total of 23 Chinooks through different initiatives.Following the Integrated Review, nine Chinook airframes will be retired from the fleet of 60 and these will be withdrawn from service by 2025.A further 14 of the oldest and most fatigued airframes will be retired and replaced from 2027 onwards as part of a Capability Sustainment Programme. As announced by the Secretary of State for Defence in May last year, the MOD plans to procure 14 new H-47 (Extended Range) Chinooks as replacements for these.The Ministry of Defence are currently generating the full retirement plan.

National Flagship

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on developing plans for the national flagship to date.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total cost of the National Flagship project has been to the public purse.

Alex Chalk: I refer the right hon. Members to the answer my predecessor gave on 18 October to Question number 59257.National Flagship: Procurement (docx, 16.5KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cost of living crisis on the timely and sufficient payment of child maintenance to resident parents; and what steps she is taking to ensure resident parents receive those payments.

Mims Davies: In the quarter to June 22, 32,000 new applications were made which is a 64% increase in applications compared to December 2021 (Child Maintenance Service statistics: data to June 2022 (experimental)). The impact of the cost-of-living crisis may be influencing parents with care to apply in higher volumes as they seek more formal arrangements to receive regular child maintenance. We recognise the increasing cost of living may impact upon the affordability of child maintenance payments and we will continue to develop referral pathways to forms of support such as mediation, financial support and debt advice. Where a parent can pay, but chooses not to, we will continue to take robust action. Since 2012, when CMS began, we have collected and arranged 92% of all maintenance due to be paid.

Stress: Employment

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Social Market Foundation's report entitled Working lives, published 27 July 2022, what assessment has he made of that report's findings.

Guy Opperman: No assessment has been made.

Low Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference his Department's report Supporting progression out of low pay: a call to action published 1 July 2021, which recommendations from this report (a) have been implemented, (b) are in progress and (c) have been rejected.

Guy Opperman: The Government’s response will be published in due course.

Universal Credit

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the process of explicit consent used in Universal Credit.

Guy Opperman: The Department keeps the process under review.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Cats: Animal Breeding

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will bring forward legislative proposals on cat breeding that are equivalent to regulations in Scotland.

Rebecca Pow: The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) introduced licencing requirements in England for specified activities involving animals: selling animals as pets, providing for or arranging for the provision of boarding for cats and dogs, hiring out horses, dog breeding and keeping or training animals for exhibition. The 2018 Regulations are due to be reviewed in 2023. This will be an appropriate time to re-examine the scope of the Regulations and consider whether there is evidence to explore potential licencing of additional activities. As part of this review, we are proactively working with partners, including local authorities to collate data that can provide a picture of licensed and unlicensed activities involving animals in England. A wide range of stakeholders including key trade associations and the Canine and Feline Sector Group will be integral to coordinating input from this diverse sector to inform Defra’s review. Whilst animal welfare is a devolved matter, Defra officials liaise closely with their counterparts across the whole of the UK.

Environment Agency: Staff

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a yearly breakdown of the total number of Environment Agency staff for each year since 2010.

Rebecca Pow: The requested information is provided in an attachment to this answer.Attachment for 63296 (docx, 18.9KB)

Pigs: Animal Welfare

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the welfare implications of high concentration carbon dioxide stunning in the slaughter of pigs.

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of substituting the use of carbon dioxide in the stunning of pigs with alternatives such as argon, nitrogen or nitrous oxide.

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using low atmospheric pressure stunning as an alternative to carbon dioxide in the slaughter of pigs.

Mark Spencer: We recognise the long-standing animal welfare concerns with high concentration carbon dioxide stunning of pigs. HM Government has supported research into use of alternatives, including inert gas mixtures, and while these do reduce the welfare impacts, there are practical constraints to their use which have so far restricted commercial uptake. HM Government has also part-funded research into Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning (LAPS) as a possible alternative stunning method for pigs. However, the results demonstrated that LAPS is associated with poor welfare in pigs and does not present a humane alternative to high concentration carbon dioxide stunning.

Avian Influenza

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of avian flu in the UK.

Mark Spencer: Defra's avian influenza disease control measures aim to minimise the economic burden of the outbreak on the food, farming and tourism industries and the wider economy, whilst protecting public health. All decisions regarding the disease and prevention control measures are based on risk assessments containing the latest scientific veterinary and ornithological advice. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) outbreak and risk assessments are published and available on GOV.UK through the 'Animal diseases: international and UK monitoring' collection and include assessments covering the poultry and gamebird sectors in addition to wild birds. In summary, the risk of incursion of highly pathogenic (HPAI) avian influenza H5 in wild birds in Great Britain is currently assessed as very high (i.e. event occurs almost certainly). The risk to poultry with stringent biosecurity is currently assessed as medium (i.e. event occurs regularly) (with high uncertainty). However, the risk to poultry exposure to HPAI H5 in Great Britain with suboptimal biosecurity is assessed as high (i.e. event occurs very often) (with low uncertainty). In addition, Defra in collaboration with the Devolved Administration host regular avian influenza stakeholder meetings attended by organisations representing the breadth of the bird keeping sector including commercial, small scale, pet and specialist bird keepers, together with ornithological, veterinary, wildlife rehabilitation sector representatives. Expert advice is also sought by the UKs Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) and animal health policy officials through the Ornithology National Experts Group (NEG) and Great Britain Avian Exotic Disease Core Group which include representatives from across the bird keeping sector.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Regulation

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will place in the House of Commons Library an analysis of the breakdown of regulatory burdens relevant to her Department including (a) listing items identified as out of scope due to EU membership and (b) their estimated red tape costs.

Mark Spencer: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Effective regulation strengthens our economy through enabling the operation of Defra sectors and preventing costly impacts on our nature, environment and public health. Where regulations are creating unjustifiable burdens on business, Defra is committed to reform them to ensure we support our environment and our economy alike. Defra has already brought forward ambitious reform in the Fisheries Act, Agriculture Act and the Environment Act and has already repealed numerous pieces of EU-legacy regulation. Further use of the powers in these acts and the core powers within the REUL Bill mean we can continue to deliver on the department’s innovative REUL reform ambitions to support businesses and take an approach tailored to the United Kingdom.

Agriculture: Research

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting, indefinitely storing and regenerating reproductive cells and cell lines from commercial (a) plant and (b) animal breeds.

Mark Spencer: Defra recognises that gene banking is an important tool for the conservation of genetic diversity for plant and animal breeds and engages with breeds societies on this issue. Defra funds the management of three plant gene banks (the National Fruit Collection (Brogdale, Kent), the Vegetable Collection (University of Warwick) and the Pea Collection (John Innes Centre, Norwich) which conserve and provide access to a variety of plant genetic material. These collections store both wild and commercial varieties which are regularly regenerated where applicable, to ensure the collections remain viable for the future. Animal gene bank collections currently present in the United Kingdom are the UK National Livestock Gene Bank, run by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST), and the Ovine Semen Archive, run jointly by RBST and the National Sheep Association (NSA). Many breed societies also hold private collections of genetic material. Defra collects and monitors data on animal cryogenic reserves as part of the annually published UK National Breed Inventory.

Food: Labelling

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her policy to introduce sustainable food labelling in the UK.

Mark Spencer: Within the Food Strategy the Government announced its policy position towards sustainable food labelling. Through the Food Data Transparency Programme (FDTP), we will develop consistent and defined metrics to objectively measure the health, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare impacts of food. We will work with stakeholders to create a common framework of metrics which the food and drink industry must follow when making voluntary information available to consumers regarding their food's emission and sustainability claims. This mandatory methodology will be for participating companies to consistently follow, providing a common standard where eco-information is voluntarily used should they choose to include such information on their products.

Fishing Gear: EU Law

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill will retain the Deep Sea regulation that prohibits trawling below 800 metres.

Mark Spencer: HM Government is in the process of analysing all retained EU law. This analysis will enable us to determine what should be preserved as part of domestic law and what should be repealed or amended. The United Kingdom is a world leader in environmental protection, and we will not weaken environmental protections.

Cats: Theft

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason cats have not been included in the proposed pet abduction offence in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.

Mark Spencer: HM Government fully understands the deep distress caused by the theft of a much-loved family pet and the importance of dealing with pet theft given the impact it can have on owners. HM Government launched the Pet Theft Taskforce in May 2021 in response to the apparent rise in pet theft since the start of the pandemic. The Taskforce's recommendations include the creation of a new 'pet abduction' offence to recognise that pets are not mere items of property and to recognise the potential impact on their welfare when they are taken by strangers.The offence is one of the measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill currently being considered by Parliament. As currently drafted the offence focuses on dogs, with enabling powers. The inclusion of the enabling powers means that the Secretary of State will be able to extend the offence to other species of companion animal in the future by making regulations. HM Government listened closely to views expressed on this issue during Commons Committee stage, in particular whether cats should also be included with dogs at the outset, and the Government is currently considering this issue carefully.The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was reintroduced to the House of Commons in May 2022 and will progress to Report Stage as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Dogs: Smuggling

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help end illegal puppy smuggling.

Mark Spencer: HM Government published its Action Plan for Animal Welfare in May 2021, which is a wide-reaching plan that sets out our current and future work to build on our already high standards of animal welfare. Now that we have left the EU, we are making some significant changes to domestic law through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, bringing in legislation to meet our manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was re-introduced to the House of Commons in May and will progress to Report stage as soon as Parliamentary time allows. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation. In August 2021, HM Government launched a consultation on how these powers should be used. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a response in due course.

Agriculture: Disease Control

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the resilience of commercial plant and animal species to the risk of novel disease outbreaks.

Mark Spencer: By law (REUL for The European Union (EU) Directive 2003/85/EC) animal health-focused exercises of contingency plans need to be undertaken every five years at a cross-department, cross-devolved administration national level and every year/few years at lower regional or limited national levels.We have a well-established contingency plan for responding to outbreaks of exotic disease in animals Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases of Animals in England (publishing.service.gov.uk). We also have specific control strategies for our highest likelihood threats, such as African Swine fever, Foot and Mouth disease, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and Rabies.The Generic Contingency Plan for Plant Health in England describes how the Plant Health Service in England would manage outbreaks of plant pests. In accordance with retained EU regulation 2016/2031, specific contingency plans are also required for priority plant pests (priority pests are listed here - The Plant Health (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (legislation.gov.uk)). These plans detail additional measures to those set out in the generic contingency plan to manage these pests. Our generic contingency plan and pest specific contingency plans (for the priority pests and other high risk pests) are available here - Contingency planning - UK Plant Health Information Portal (defra.gov.uk). EU regulation 2016/2031 also specifies that simulation exercises should be carried out for our priority pests at appropriate intervals.

Fishing Gear

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will propose a measure to ban bottom trawling on all seamounts in NEAFC regulatory areas at this year’s meeting of the Northeast Atlantic Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.

Mark Spencer: The UK advocates an approach of banning bottom trawling where there is a risk of significant adverse impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems. The UK therefore will support a proposal at this year’s Annual Meeting of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) to rollover all existing bottom fishing closures in the NEAFC area from 2022 into 2023.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Public Expenditure

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of his departmental budget.

Mark Spencer: Defra group’s budget for this financial year is £6.6billion (4.5bn resource and 2.1bn capital) and we are on track to spend within it. In line with good financial management, the department regularly reviews its financial position to manage pressures and maximise delivery.

Animals: Research

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting, indefinitely storing and regenerating reproductive cells and cell lines from endangered animal species.

Trudy Harrison: Global biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. Whilst we have no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of collecting, indefinitely storing and regenerating reproductive cells and cell lines from endangered animal species, we remain fully committed to ensuring our most vulnerable biodiversity is protected. This includes by working with countries to agree an ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework at the forthcoming Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of Parties (CoP15) being held in December this year.

African Swine Fever: Agriculture

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential threat posed by African Swine Fever to the British agricultural sector.

Mark Spencer: The Animal Health and Plant Agency has carried out an assessment on the risk of entry of ASF into Great Britain from the EU Member States. The assessment took into account the evolving disease situation in the EU and found the overall risk to be medium. The report also highlighted major consequences for the GB pig industry should there be an incursion of ASF. A UK-wide exercise that simulated an outbreak of ASF was carried out in 2021 to test government contingency plans to contain and eliminate the disease in the event that it reached the UK. The aim of the exercise was to help improve the UK’s animal disease response capabilities through testing plans, instructions and the structures employed in managing an outbreak.

Home Office

Crime Prevention: Detention Centres

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help prevent attacks on migrant centers.

Robert Jenrick: We work closely with the Police and others to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our teams and contractors, as well as the people in our care. In order to maintain that security, it would not be appropriate to set out further details.

Asylum: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people arriving to York from Manston Immigration Processing Centre were transferred to hospital.

Robert Jenrick: For those seeking asylum, following an initial registration process, where they would otherwise be destitute, they will be transferred from Manston Immigration Processing Centre to suitable contingency asylum accommodation whilst their claim is processed. The Home Office will not always be made aware of subsequent hospital appointments and admissions and does not hold the information requested.

Detention Centres: Manston

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to help ensure that people do not remain at the Manston immigration centre for more than 24 hours.

Robert Jenrick: We are taking every step to ensure that any period of detention is as brief as possible, arrivals are processed quickly and, where appropriate, given initial asylum accommodation. We have been sourcing more bed spaces with local authorities and in contingency accommodation such as hotels. Since the start of October, over 13 new hotels providing over 1,850 additional hotel bedspaces have been brought into use.

Detention Centres: Manston

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children will be moved from Manston Immigration Processing Centre to hotels; and what steps she is taking to provide support for those children.

Robert Jenrick: It is not possible to state how many children will, as part of family groups, be moved from Manston on future dates given uncertainty about future small boat arrivals.Where families are moved to contingency accommodation, including hotels, the Home Office expects the highest standards from our accommodation providers, who are expected to conduct regular checks across the asylum estate to ensure their contractual obligations are being met. Our accommodation providers are experienced and have all the required policies and procedures in place around security, safeguarding, critical incident management and health and safety.The support provided at hotels includes;Three, varied and appropriate meals a day which included a continental breakfast, lunch and evening meals with a choice of at least one hot, one cold selection and a vegetarian option. Babies and small children are also provided with appropriate foodstuffs and this service will allow them to be fed whenever necessary.Additional support items supplied, including baby care equipment, disposable nappies, personal toiletries and feminine hygiene products.Access to laundry facilities or a laundry service will be available for all service users.All individuals in full board Initial Accommodation (IA) receive a weekly £8 cash allowance onto an ASPEN card.Asylum seekers also have free access to healthcare through the NHS and, for their children under 18, they have access to full-time education.All people accommodated within our estate have access to our Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) provider, Migrant Help. Asylum seekers are able to contact Migrant Help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year if they need help, advice or guidance.

Migrant Workers: General Practitioners

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of allowing international medical graduates to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK following the completion of GP specialty training on the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of NHS GPs.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office have delivered a range of measures to support the health and care sector to recruit International Medical Graduates (IMGs) to work in the UK. The Home Office launched the Health & Care visa in 2020, which makes it easier, cheaper, and quicker for health workers – including international medical graduates - to come and stay in the UK to work compared to other immigration routes.IMGs who have undertaken GP training are eligible to apply for ILR after completing five years on the Health and Care visa route, in line with IMGs in other fields and work visa routes in general. The government does not intend to change this policy to treat a specific group more favourably than the people on the route as a whole.The best way for the sector to retain IMGs is to drive up the number of GP surgeries that are Home Office approved sponsors. This will provide them with the ability to continue to renew their visa while living in the UK and to qualify for permanent settlement in due course.We are committed to ensuring sponsorship arrangements work for IMG GPs.

Animal Experiments

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual reports 2019 to 2021, published on 26 October 2022, for what reasons incidents of non-compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, for which the remedy was not solely inspector advice, increased between 2018 and 2021.

Chris Philp: The 2018 Animal in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) annual report explains that several non-compliance cases were detected in 2018, but investigations were not completed until 2019. Available at (p26): www.gov.uk/government/publications/animals-in-science-regulation-unit-annual-report-2018. These completed investigations were then reported in the 2019 ASRU annual report.The Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU) has published its compliance framework which identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures to minimise the risk of recurrence. Available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa.

Home Office: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what total amount of money has been paid out by her Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to her Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Chris Philp: The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation.Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Police: Vetting

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report of His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service entitled an inspection of vetting, misconduct, and misogyny in the police service, published on 2 November 2022, what assessment she has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of that report's finding that people with criminal convictions have been accepted into the police force.

Chris Philp: The framework for police vetting is set out by the College of Policing through its statutory vetting code of practice and vetting authorised professional practice (APP) guidance. The guidance is reviewed on an ongoing basis and will consider the relevant recommendations from the inspectorate as part of that.The code of practice recognises the importance of public confidence and states that applications to join the police should be rejected in all cases where the applicant has served a custodial sentence or is on the sex offenders register.There is also a rebuttable presumption that a person will not be suitable for appointment if they have a previous conviction or caution for a criminal offence. Factors such as the nature and severity of the offence and age of the person when the offence was committed can be taken into account as each case must be considered on its own merits.We expect Chief Officers to address all of its recommendations in full.

Animal Experiments

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of enforcement action taken in response to the breaches of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 that are set out in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit’s annual reports for 2019-2021.

Chris Philp: The Home Office take any allegations regarding non-compliance with the law, the Code of Practice or licence conditions very seriously.The Compliance Policy, found here: (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) explains how the Regulator identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures aimed to minimise the risk of recurrence.

Police: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers serve in the London region.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area, on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.Data broken down by police force area and region can be found in the accompanying Open Data Tables here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1005761/open-data-table-police-workforce-280721.ods

Police: Gwent

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues about the adequacy of Gwent Police force’s budget.

Chris Philp: The Government has published a funding settlement of up to £16.9 billion for 2022/23, up to £1.1 billion more than the previous year, to ensure police forces in England and Wales have the resources they need to protect the public.For Gwent, funding will be up to £159.1m in 2022/23, an increase of up to £9.1m when compared to 2021/22.

Motor Vehicles: Theft

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of vehicles stolen in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) London and (c) England in each of the past 12 years.

Chris Philp: The number of ‘theft of a motor vehicle’ offences recorded by the territorial police forces in London and in England in each year is presented in the table below. Data at the constituency level are not published by the Home Office.The number of ‘theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle’ and ‘Aggravated vehicle taking’ offences recorded by police forces:Theft of a motor vehicle offencesEnglandLondon2010/11100,63427,0732011/1287,63526,3462012/1375,74822,1982013/1471,74720,7842014/1572,25721,9312015/1678,39422,2652016/1793,12128,0082017/18107,50431,5652018/19115,19931,7052019/20114,39531,2352020/2190,47625,8012021/22109,17929,066   Source: Home Office police recorded crime open data tables

Police: Females

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help increase the number of women joining the Police.

Chris Philp: For the first time ever, there are over 50,000 female police officers across England & Wales, making up 34.9% of all police officers. This is the highest level on record. Since April 2020, female recruits represented 42.5% of new joiners, an improvement on 37% during the year ending 31 March 2020.The Police Uplift Programme has supported all forces to reach diverse audiences. This has included sharing best practice, upskilling recruitment teams, launching a new advertising campaign designed to reach diverse audiences and enhancing workforce data.Whilst the Government welcomes this milestone, the findings of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) recent report show that more needs to be done to tackle misogyny and sexist behaviour in the service and the Government expects Chief Constables to act on the inspectorate’s findings urgently.

Action Fraud

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve the efficiency of Action Fraud’s customer service; and whether she has plans to introduce a minimum standard of care for fraud victims using that service.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many of the 20,000 new police recruits will be deployed to tackle fraud.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has plans to increase the number of employees in Action Fraud over the next two years.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office is working with the City of London Police to replace and upgrade Action Fraud, with the new service expected to be fully operational by 2024. Improvements to the existing system are being made on an ongoing basis as part of the upgrade.We have already improved the victim experience by enhancing the technology and increasing the staff numbers in the call centre. We will launch a new Action Fraud website in 2023. The National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit, which is being rolled out nationally, provides specialist support to fraud and cybercrime victims.As part of the Police Uplift Programme, 725 posts have been dedicated to tackling Serious Organised Crime including fraud. Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables will decide how to allocate further resource they receive through the Programme within their forces. Separately, over the next three years the Home Office is spending some of the £400 million secured to fight Economic Crime in the last Spending Review, to provide additional specialist fraud officers into the City of London Police, Regional Organised Crime Units and the National Crime Agency.

Fraud: Convictions

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to increase the conviction rate for fraud in circumstances where fraud is not the primary offence.

Tom Tugendhat: Fraud is a despicable crime and those who commit it should be brought to justice. The Government recognises that to improve conviction rates, whether it is a primary offence or not, there needs to be an increased pipeline of cases under investigation.Following His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Service’s (HMICFRS) inspection into the police response to fraud in 2019, a number of improvements have been put in place across several areas of the law enforcement response. These were outlined in a follow up review from the HMICFRS in August 2021.However, we know that more needs to be done to improve the capacity and capability to respond effectively to fraud. The Home Office continues to work with partners across all departments, forces and organisations to act on all recommendations made by the HMICFRS and to improve the response at all levels.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Private Rented Housing: Rents

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what processes his Department has in place to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate average levels of private rented sector rents in England; and what recent assessment his Department has made of the affordability of average private sector rents for low to middle income households.

Felicity Buchan: The Department continues to monitor key sources of data including the Office for National Statistics' Index of Private Housing Rental Prices.The most recent English Housing Survey found that over two thirds (71%) of private renters in the lower two income quintiles spent 30% or more of their income on rent in 2021-21.

Private Rented Housing: Unemployment

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of private rented accommodation to the unwaged.

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of repealing Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 on the student housing market.

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authority enforcement of (a) selective licensing designations and (b) other existing measures against landlords in the private rented sector for (i) HMOs and (ii) other private rented accommodation, since 2015.

Felicity Buchan: The Department continues to monitor private rent levels using the Office for National Statistics' Index of Private Rents and biannual publications on absolute rent levels by local authority and number of bedrooms. The Department also tracks the stock of private rented properties using the English Housing Survey and other market data to assess the availability of private rented accommodation and financial resilience of unwaged renters. People who need help to make their rent payments may be eligible for a range of financial support through the welfare system. The government has maintained the Local Housing Allowance at its increased rate for 2021/22 and 2022/23, and for those most in need Discretionary Housing Payments are available to help meet a shortfall in housing costs and the Household Support Fund has been extended to help with the cost of essentials.The Government's commitment to abolish Section 21 evictions will mean tenants enjoy greater security and feel empowered to challenge poor practice and unreasonable rent rises. We want as many tenants as possible to benefit from these reforms, including students living in the private rented sector. We expect most students will continue to move in-line with the academic year. We will continue to consider the impact of our reforms as we move towards legislation and will publish an impact assessment in due course. The Government's 'A Fairer Private Rented Sector' White Paper set out our intention to bolster national oversight of local councils' enforcement, including by exploring requirements for councils to report on their housing enforcement activity and sharing of best practice.The 2021 National Audit Office report into regulation of the private rented sector (PRS), and the subsequent Public Accounts Committee report set out several recommendations to improve the PRS, including a number concerning landlords, to which the department has responded. We are also currently assessing the recommendations from the 2019 Independent Review into the effectiveness of selective licensing and will respond in due course. We will work with local authorities to gather more information about their selective licensing schemes to ensure they are continuing to deliver the intended outcomes and to help share best practice. There are additional regulatory standards for HMOs than other privately rented accommodation. Duties for the landlords of HMOs are set out in HMO management regulations. We reformed HMO licensing in 2018, requiring that HMOs with five or more tenants must be licensed.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the disabilities facilities grant and the speed of disbursement of the grants to their recipients.

Felicity Buchan: The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 requires local authorities to make decisions on Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) applications within six months of receipt, and adaptations must be completed within 12 months of the DFG approval date.On 28 March this year the Government published new guidance for local authorities in England on effective delivery of the grant. This includes information on how local authorities can speed up DFG delivery. A link to the guidance is available on GOV.UK here.Additionally, Government provides funding to Foundations, the national body for DFGs and home improvement agencies, to promote best practice in the delivery of home adaptations. Foundations analyse annual voluntary data returns from local authorities in England on their DFG delivery, including unaudited data on DFG approval and completion times. Their most recent report for 2020-21 can be found here. This indicates an average DFG delivery time of 89 days from approval to completion.

Veterans: Homelessness

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the number of homeless ex-service personnel in (a) England and (b) Staffordshire.

Felicity Buchan: Data on households who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, for England show levels of veteran homelessness are low but there is no room for complacency and Government is committed to doing more. Annual Statutory Homelessness Data 2021-22, published in September 2022, shows that 1,850 households in England owed a homelessness duty had a member of the household with a support need due to service in the Armed Forces. This represents less than 1% of all households owed a homelessness duty.Data for all local housing authorities within Staffordshire can be found within the annual data publication available here (Table A3). This shows 13 households across 5 local authorities included a member with a support need to service in the Armed Forces with 4 local authorities with zero households.The Government is committed to reducing veteran homelessness. In September 2022, we published our 'Ending Rough Sleeping for Good' strategy. This ensures local areas can provide tailored support, including for veterans, where required.

Medical Equipment: Power Failures

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of Local Resilience Forums on the safety of people with long-term health conditions who use at home equipment such as ventilators and dialysis machines, in the context of potential power shortages this winter.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which Minister in in his Department is responsible for ensuring the safety of people with long-term health conditions who use lifesaving equipment, including ventilators and dialysis machines, in their own homes in the event of power blackouts this winter; and if his Department will publish its plans for protecting these individuals.

Felicity Buchan: The Department of Health and Social Care works with England's health and social care sectors to support individuals with electricity dependent medical equipment at home.The Department for Levelling Up has been working with Local Resilience Forums in England to support local areas in their regular planning for winter across a range of risks, including making sure the most vulnerable are supported.

Social Rented Housing: Waiting Lists

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the waiting times for social housing for (a) large families and (b) homeless one-person households.

Lucy Frazer: Since 2010, more than 598,900 affordable homes have been delivered, including 157,200 for social rent. We are committed to make funding available to build affordable homes.In 2012 we abolished open waiting lists and gave local authorities the power to manage their own waiting lists. Since then, waiting lists have decreased by 36%. This is because local authorities are best placed to develop solutions which make best use of local social homes.The Homelessness Reduction Act places duties on local authorities to try to prevent and relieve a person's homelessness, they are also required to give homeless people priority for social housing.

Social Rented Housing: Construction

Ian Levy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to increase the level of government support for the building of social rent housing.

Lucy Frazer: The provision of affordable housing is part of the Government's plan to build more homes and provide aspiring homeowners with a step onto the housing ladder. Our Affordable Homes Programme will deliver thousands of affordable homes for both rent and to buy right across the country. The Levelling Up White Paper committed to increasing the supply of social rented homes.Since 2010, we have delivered over 598,900 new affordable homes, including over 419,200 affordable homes for rent, of which over 157,200 homes are for social rent.

Right to Buy Scheme: Social Rented Housing

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact extending the right-to-buy scheme on the long-term levels of social housing stock in the UK.

Lucy Frazer: The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which since 1980 has enabled over two million social housing tenants to become homeowners. In June, the Government announced its intention to extend the Right to Buy to tenants of housing associations.A full impact assessment of this policy will be produced ahead of the scheme's introduction and will be working closely with the housing association sector on the approach to the scheme, including on ensuring the one-for-one replacement of homes sold. We will announce more details in due course.

Property Development: Public Consultation

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to ensure that local communities in neighbouring local authorities have an opportunity to contribute their views to development proposals where those developments are proposed on the borders of the neighbouring authority.

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of virtual planning inquiries on the timescales for work undertaken by planning inspectors in the Planning Inspectorate.

Lucy Frazer: During the height of the Pandemic holding planning inquiries virtually ensured those cases progressed without undue delay during lockdowns. Since September 2021 the Planning Inspectorate has moved to a 'mixed model' where the appointed Inspector on a case decides the most appropriate format for hearing oral evidence, taking the views of the parties on the case into consideration. In practice this often means holding some of the inquiry in person and complementing it with virtual elements. Given the wide range of factors that influence the timing and lengths of inquiries and the mix of formats used, it has not been possible so far to separate out a specific link between format and timescales for decision.Local planning authorities are required to publish all planning applications on their planning register and to undertake a formal period of public consultation of no less than 21 days, prior to deciding an application. Where an application straddles the boundaries of two or more local planning authorities, publicity should be undertaken separately in each local planning authority area. Local planning authorities will need to agree between themselves whether publicity beyond the statutory minimum in each area is appropriate. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will increase the opportunities for involvement in the planning system to ensure development is brought forward in a way that works best for local people. Alongside traditional forms of engagement, digital engagement will remove barriers to engagement and provide new opportunities for local people to engage. We are clear that communities must have a say on development that affects them and they will retain the right to comment on planning applications.

Housing: Construction

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will undertake a review of his Department's policy on the five year supply of deliverable housing sites to ensure that it takes account of economic factors affecting housebuilding; and if he will provide local planning authorities with more flexibility in the National Planning Policy Framework to protect sites from development where there is an absence of a five year supply of deliverable housing sites.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) the covid-19 pandemic and (b) global inflation on the delivery of housing sites in England; and whether he has made an assessment of the impact of those factors on the five-year housing supply position of local authorities.

Lucy Frazer: Despite the pandemic, housebuilders were able to deliver over 216,000 homes in England in 2020/21. Nonetheless, the Government made changes to two housing delivery tests, to mitigate disruption caused to housing delivery.The Government recognises rising materials prices have created a challenging environment for many construction businesses, including in housebuilding, and especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. We continue to work closely with firms in the sector through the Construction Leadership Council Product Availability Group, to monitor product, material availability and mitigate the impact of price increases.We have committed to publishing our vision for the new National Planning Policy Framework which includes our position on planning for housing.We have set out our intention to remove the requirement for authorities to maintain a five-year housing land supply, where their plan is up to date. This will curb perceived 'speculative development', so long as plans are kept up to date.

Planning Permission: Conservation Areas

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing exceptions in planning laws in conservation areas for planning applications for (a) external insultation and (b) other measures to reduce the energy usage of properties.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of planning laws in conservation areas on the ability of people to insulate their homes.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of planning laws on the ability of people to install external insulation in conservationareas.

Lucy Frazer: In the Government's British Energy Security Strategy , published earlier this year, we committed to reviewing the practical planning barriers that households can face when installing energy efficiency measures, including in conservation areas and listed buildings. Work on the review is currently underway and we will make an announcement on the outcome in due course.

Buildings: Safety

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what support the Government is providing to leaseholders to assist them in completing their deed of certificate forms, which determine whether they qualify for leaseholder protections from historic building safety costs, in a timely and correct manner.

Lucy Frazer: The GOV.UK guidance and frequently asked questions on the leaseholder deed of certificate are available here and here.

Right to Buy Scheme: Housing Associations

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the pilot scheme for voluntary right to buy from housing associations; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is grateful for the participation of the Midlands housing associations in piloting the Voluntary Right to Buy. The Midlands pilot was independently evaluated by RSM Consulting, which was published in 2021 here.Since 1980 Right to Buy has enabled over two million social housing tenants to become homeowners.

Housing: Construction

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the impact of the building of modular homes on (a) the economy, (b) the (i) speed and (ii) cost of house building and (c) the provision of affordable homes; and if he will take steps to encourage the building of more modular homes.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is committed to supporting the development and use of modern methods of construction (MMC) which has the capability of unlocking a range of benefits including increased energy efficiency, quicker delivery of new homes and improving the diversity of the housing sector. Government support includes building at least 25% of properties through the Affordable Homes Programme using MMC and providing financial support through our Levelling Up House Building Fund.

Northern Ireland Office

British Irish Intergovernmental Conference

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on hosting meetings of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference in each of the last five years.

Mr Steve Baker: The Northern Ireland Office regularly publishes Annual Report and Accounts, including audited financial statements. I would refer the Honourable Lady to that resource for the information she requires.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: India

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October to Question 62154, whether her Department has 37 or four full-time equivalent staff in the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Nigel Huddleston: As of 12 October 2022, there were 41 full-time staff in the Indian state of Maharashtra working for Department for International Trade (DIT). This figure includes staff in UK Export Finance. For clarity, DIT has two posts/locations (Mumbai and Pune) in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai has 37 staff and Pune has 4 staff, totalling 41 staff.

Department for International Trade: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what total amount of money has been paid out by her Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to her Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.

Nigel Huddleston: The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation (Section 4 of the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991). Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts. Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

BBC Radio: Redundancy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will have discussions with the BBC on the proposed redundancies in (a) the BBC World Service and (b) BBC Local Radio.

Julia Lopez: The BBC is a great national institution that has made a unique contribution to our cultural heritage in the UK. It is also respected globally, and reaches hundreds of millions of people across the world every week. However, the BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the government, and decisions over its spending and how its services are delivered are a matter for the BBC.At the global level, the BBC World Service plays a vital role in delivering high quality, accurate and impartial broadcasting around the world. The FCDO is continuing to provide the BBC World Service over £94 million annually for the next three years, supporting services in 12 languages and improving key services in Arabic, Russian and English. This is in addition to nearly £470 million FCDO have already provided through the World2020 programme since 2016.At the local level, the government recognises the important role radio plays in terms of the provision of local news and information and community engagement, and is disappointed that the BBC is planning to reduce parts of its local radio output.Again, the BBC’s independence from the government is set out in its Royal Charter, and decisions on its service delivery are a matter for the BBC. However, my officials engage the BBC and Ofcom on these issues. I have also raised them, including reflections on recent parliamentary discussions, with the BBC.

Public Service Broadcasting: Vulnerable Adults

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she will take to help ensure that the most vulnerable and isolated people in our society are consulted on what Public Services Broadcasting they want to be in receipt of.

Julia Lopez: Public service broadcasting continues to be highly valued across the UK – including in relation to its ability to support the most vulnerable and isolated in our society. Our broadcasters play a crucial role in disseminating accurate news, strengthening pride of place, reflecting the unique interests of the audiences that they serve, connecting communities, and helping to address social issues like loneliness and mental health.The independent communications regulator Ofcom reports regularly on whether the purposes of public service broadcasting have been met. This includes considering whether the provision of programming on public service channels meets the needs and satisfies the interests of the available audiences. To support their most recent periodic review, Small Screen Big Debate, Ofcom commissioned research into the media services that people use, the value they place on them, and the perceived personal and societal benefits of public service broadcasting. This analysis was broken down by gender, age and social grade and is available from the Small Screen Big Debate website. Ofcom also undertook a public consultation, which ran between December 2020 and March 2021 and informed their recommendations to the government.The Government meets regularly with a range of stakeholder groups representing viewers, and has recently undertaken a number of public consultations which received responses from a broad spectrum of viewers. As set out in Up Next, the government’s Broadcasting White Paper, the government intends to launch a number of further consultations in due course. In addition, the government would expect public service broadcasters, as a matter of course, to consider carefully the views of the audiences they serve when determining the provision of both local and national services, and to set out detail on how these decisions will impact audiences and communities.

Ministry of Justice

Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to implement the recommendations of the Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid.

Mike Freer: We have introduced a 15% uplift across most fee schemes in line with the recommendations made in the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review. Uplifts for solicitors and barristers have already started being paid for new cases following the increased rates which came into force on 30 September 2022.We have also applied the recent fee uplifts to the vast majority of existing Crown Court cases to address concerns that the uplifted fees did not apply to previous work. This came into force on 31 October 2022.This, alongside longer-term reforms and our investment in court recovery this would take expected criminal legal aid spend to £1.2 billion per year.We plan to publish our response to the remaining areas of our consultation by the end of November.

Legal Aid Scheme

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to address the decrease in legal aid firms in the UK over the past 12 years.

Mike Freer: In 2021/22, the Department spent £1.6 billion on legal aid to ensure this vital support is accessible.The volume of providers holding legal aid contracts at any given time is subject to change due to market forces, and other factors such as the internal management and updating of contract schedules. As such, a decline in contracts does not necessarily equate to a loss of provision in the area as this can occur due to mergers or other consolidation activity.The Legal Aid Agency keeps market capacity under constant review, ensuring access across England and Wales and taking immediate action where required. We are also undertaking a review of the civil legal aid market to identify changes which could be pursued in the longer term to make the market more effective and efficient.We have introduced a 15% uplift across most fee schemes in line with the recommendations made in the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review. Uplifts for solicitors and barristers have already started being paid for new cases following the increased rates which came into force on 30 September 2022.We have also applied the recent fee uplifts to the vast majority of existing Crown Court cases to address concerns that the uplifted fees did not apply to previous work. This came into force on 31 October 2022.Alongside this, we have consulted on changes to the Legal Aid Means Test which will mean an additional 3.5 million people in England and Wales will have access to legal aid at the magistrates’ court, and 2 million more will have access to civil legal aid. Additionally, wherever you are in England and Wales, legal advice on a range of civil issues is available through the Civil Legal Aid telephone service.

Probate Service: Telephone Services

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of current call waiting times for people contacting the Probate Call Centre; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times.

Mike Freer: The average wait time for people telephoning the National Courts and Tribunal Service Centre with queries relating to Probate between January 2022 and September 2022 was 28 minutes and 4 seconds.Volumes and waiting times for calls have risen since March 2022, with 6000 more calls in September 2022 compared to March 2022. HMCTS are committed to reducing call waiting times and are increasing resources to meet the increased demand.

National Security Bill

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of clauses 79 to 83 of the National Security Bill on the ability of victims of (a) torture and (b) other crimes to seek redress for alleged actions by the UK contributing to that treatment.

Mike Freer: The Government is satisfied the measures in these clauses of the National Security Bill are justified, will help improve public protection and are proportionate in nature. They will enable the UK’s security services to apply for: A reduction in civil damages in national security proceedings where a claimant has been involved in wrongdoing associated with terrorism;A court order that would freeze or forfeit damages payable where the court is satisfied that there is a real risk of a claimant using their award to fund acts of terror. All applications will be subject to the independent determination of the courts on an assessment of the evidence in individual cases.

Courts: Administrative Delays

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the backlog in court cases; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of setting up temporary courts to help reduce the backlog in cases.

Mike Freer: The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts and our decisive action kept justice moving during the pandemic. As a result, the outstanding caseload in the Crown Court had reduced from 60,400 cases in June 2021 to 57,900 cases at the end of March 2022. However, since April 2022 the caseload has been increasing again and it stood at 61,200 at the end of August. In the Magistrates' Courts, the criminal caseload has fallen from 445,000 in July 2020 to 360,611 in August 2022 – a reduction of over 20%.Now that barristers have returned to work, we can work together to drive down the backlog and ensure victims see justice served sooner.Nightingale courts were essential in keeping the wheels of justice turning throughout the pandemic. They opened across the estate to provide additional capacity for the Crown Court either directly or by hosting other work which made space for jury trials in the existing estate when social distancing restricted our ability to carry out face-to-face hearings. Since social distancing restrictions have been lifted, we have been able to re-open courtrooms. There is now 500 Crown courtrooms available, which is higher than pre-pandemic levels, and the need for additional capacity has been reduced.We are currently operating 30 temporary Nightingale courtrooms, with the decision to extend these based on regional operational need and venue availability.